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Background: Little is known about the outcomes of elderly patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with severe acute cholangitis (SAC). The objectives were to describe the 6-month mortality in patients with SAC ≥75 years and to identify factors associated with this mortality., Methods: Bi-center retrospective study of critically ill elderly patients with SAC conducted between 2013 and 2017. Demographic and clinical variables of ICU and hospital stays with a 6-month follow-up were analyzed., Results: 85 patients, with a median [Q1-Q3] age of 83 [80-89] years were enrolled of whom 51 (60%) were men. SAC was due to choledocholithiasis in 72 (85%) patients. Median [Q1-Q3] ICU length of stay was 3 [2-6] days. Median [Q1-Q3] admission SAPS II was 50 [42-70]. The ICU and 6-month mortality rates were 18% and 48% respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that malnutrition (OR = 34.5, 95% CI [1.4-817.9]) and a decrease in SOFA score at 48 h (OR by unit 0.7, 95% CI [0.5-0.9]) were associated with higher 6-month mortality., Conclusion: In their decision-making process, ICU physicians and hepato-pancreato-biliary surgeons could use these data to estimate the probability of survival of an elderly patient presenting with SAC and to offer time-limited trials of intensive care., Trial Registration: NCT03831529., (Copyright © 2020 International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Few data are available on patients who have experienced anaphylaxis and were admitted to ICUs. The purpose of this observational study was to describe the epidemiology and management of these patients., Methods: This was a multicentre retrospective study carried out in 23 French ICUs between 2012 and 2017. All patients who suffered anaphylaxis and were transferred to an ICU were included. Data were collected using an electronic database after approval by an ethics committee., Results: A total of 339 patients were included, and 17 (5%) died secondary to anaphylaxis. The main triggers were drugs (77%), contrast media (11%), and food (7%). Epinephrine was administered before ICU admission in 88% of patients with Grade III anaphylaxis and 100% of patients with Grade IV anaphylaxis. Most patients with Grades III and IV anaphylaxes did not receive the recommended dose of i.v. fluid of 30 ml kg -1 within the first 4 h of ICU admission. The time to epinephrine administration was not statistically different between survivors and non-survivors, but non-survivors received a higher dose of epinephrine (median: 5 [3-10] vs 3 [2-7] mg; P<0.0001), which suggests that some forms of anaphylactic shock may be resistant to epinephrine. In multivariate analysis, only lactate concentration at ICU admission was a predictor of death (odds ratio: 1.47 [1.15-1.88]; P=0.002)., Conclusions: Lactate concentration at ICU admission appeared to be the most reliable criterion for assessing prognosis. Epinephrine is widely used during anaphylaxis, but the volume of fluid resuscitation was consistently lower than recommended., Clinical Trial Registration: NCT04290507., (Copyright © 2020 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Our objective was to assess current practices about the administration (intermittent, extended, or continuous infusions) and therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of β-lactam antibiotics and vancomycin in France. We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional survey in May-August 2015, using an online questionnaire, sent as an e-mail link to infectious disease specialists and intensive care specialists through national mailing lists. We used clinical vignettes of critically ill patients to assess physicians' practices about administration and TDM practices for amoxicillin, cloxacillin, piperacillin/tazobactam, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefepime, meropenem and vancomycin. In all, 507 physicians participated (507/1200, response rate 42%). TDM was rarely available for β-lactams (from 16.5% (81/490) for cloxacillin to 30% (145/490) for ceftazidime), whereas vancomycin TDM was available in 97% (477/490) of the cases. In the clinical vignettes, ceftazidime and piperacillin/tazobactam were the β-lactams administered most frequently by extended or continuous infusions (76% (336/440) and 57% (252/444), respectively). Gaps in knowledge about the duration of stability of intravenous β-lactams were common (correct answers ranged from 8% (35/432) for cloxacillin to 33% (146/438) for ceftazidime). Most physicians (77%, 339/442) were convinced of the value of extended or continuous infusions for β-lactams in critically ill patients, but 48% (211/442) did not have access to practical guidelines. Our survey found that most infectious disease and intensive care specialists are favourable to optimized administration of β-lactams in critically ill patients. But the lack of guidelines and limited TDM availability for β-lactams in hospitals are potential barriers to its implementation., (Copyright © 2016 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Neurological complications are frequent in infective endocarditis (IE) and increase morbidity and mortality rates. A wide spectrum of neurological disorders may be observed, including stroke or transient ischemic attack, cerebral hemorrhage, mycotic aneurysm, meningitis, cerebral abscess, or encephalopathy. Most complications occur early during the course of IE and are a hallmark of left-sided abnormalities of native or prosthetic valves. Ischemic lesions account for 40% to 50% of IE central nervous system complications. Systematic brain MRI may reveal cerebral abnormalities in up to 80% of patients, including cerebral embolism in 50%, mostly asymptomatic. Neurological complications affect both medical and surgical treatment and should be managed by an experimented multidisciplinary team including cardiologists, neurologists, intensive care specialists, and cardiac surgeons. Oral anticoagulant therapy given to patients presenting with cerebral ischemic lesions should be replaced by unfractionated heparin for at least 2 weeks, with a close monitoring of coagulation tests. Recently published data suggest that after an ischemic stroke, surgery indicated for heart failure, uncontrolled infection, abscess, or persisting high emboli risk should not be delayed, provided that the patient is not comatose or has no severe deficit. Surgery should be postponed for 2 to 3 weeks for patients with intracranial hemorrhage. Endovascular treatment is recommended for cerebral mycotic aneurysms, if there is no severe mass effect. Recent data suggests that neurological failure, which is associated with the location and extension of brain injury, is a major determinant for short-term prognosis., (Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier SAS.)

Lesions involving the descending thoracic aorta apart from isthmus are rare and less known by anesthetists. We report the clinical course of two severely injured patients who sustained a thoracic aortic rupture in whom favorable outcome was achieved with endovascular treatment. Mechanisms, diagnosis and therapeutics aspects of these rare lesions are discussed according to literature., (Copyright © 2013 Société française d’anesthésie et de réanimation (Sfar). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.)

A 32 year old parturient with a history of Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy, who suffered from postpartum hemorrhage for which sulprostone was administered without any adverse events, is reported. Anesthetic considerations related to the management of patient with a history of Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy, especially triggers that may cause a recurrence, are described. The potential deleterious effects of sulprostone in a patient with a history of Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy are discussed., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We report two cases of inadvertent peripheral nerve catheter (PNC) shearing that occurred during placement under ultrasound guidance. Same PNC kits were used in two different hospitals. The possible causes of PNC shearing are exposed. Differences and mechanical properties of different PNC kits are discussed. The management of retained PNC carried out in these cases is presented., (Copyright © 2013 Société française d’anesthésie et de réanimation (Sfar). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.)